§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to the answer of 11 May, Official Report, columns 482–3, what arrangements exist to ensure that the passenger's consent is asked for, in all cases, before their personal letters are read by immigration officials; if such consent has to be in writing; and what is the number of occasions in each year since 1979 on which (a) the passenger has refused his consent and (b) the supervising officer has authorisd the reading of such letters.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe requirement for consent to be given is laid down in written instructions and underlined in recruit training courses. It is the responsibility of supervisory officers to see that their staff remain fully alert to this requirement, but statistics are not maintained of130W occasions when consent is either given or withheld. Any complaint that the instructions were not being followed would be fully and carefully examined.